


Learning to Walk Again

by TheFreeJoker42



Series: Belated Whumptober 2019 (Toku Edition) [2]
Category: Kamen Rider Zero-One
Genre: Day 5. Gunpoint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21756019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFreeJoker42/pseuds/TheFreeJoker42
Summary: Jin has a gun pressed to his head, and Aruto has no idea how to helpNeither does Horobi
Series: Belated Whumptober 2019 (Toku Edition) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1523153
Comments: 9
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I am still painstakingly working my way through Whumptober

“Please, just put the gun down, and we’ll talk.” 

Aruto was not qualified to negotiate with a gunman. He didn’t know how to calm down a situation, nor read one. All he could do was throw out secondhand quotes from the few police movies he’d seen. 

“Nobody has to get hurt.” 

The man’s grip around the gun tightened. “People _did_ get hurt! People are getting _killed_ because of them!” 

Aruto tensed. Okay, so, not the right thing to say. 

“I know. And I’m sorry. But this isn’t going to solve anything!” 

“Then what will?!” The man screamed, shaking the victim in his arms and pressing the gun harder into the side of his head. 

“H-Horobi…” 

“Shut up! I don't want to hear you! I don’t want to hear another word out of you.” 

Jin squeaked, and squeezed his eyes closed. His hood had dropped, and his hair had parted to partially reveal where his HumaGear modules should be.

It was a surreal scene. An ordinary human man with Jin’s own gun pressed to his head, Aruto trying to relieve the situation while Horobi… was frozen. Any sudden movement would put a bullet in his head, but every second he didn't act was a second closer to his son's destruction. His fingers itched with the desire to cut down the human where he stood. That vermin would learn not to lay his grubby, worthless hands on his son. 

"Listen," Aruto continued, "you don't want to do this. Otherwise you would have shot him already." 

The gun trembled in the man's hands, though his eyes remained focused. It almost felt as though time had stopped, as they waited for the man to lower the gun. They were ready. 

"You're right." 

He pulled the trigger, and Jin crumpled to the floor. 

Ansatsu didn't really understand what happened, and Horobi didn't go out of his way to explain. It took a second or so to comprehend what he was seeing, Horobi carrying Jin home. He rushed to his side, helping take some of the weight. 

"What happened?" 

Horobi didn't respond, instead focusing on bringing Jin to the table. It wasn't until then that Ansatsu had gotten a good look at his friend, laying motionless on the table, half of his face covered in blue, and a gaping hole in his temple. Most eerily, his eyes were still open, though cold and unresponsive. There was no pretending he was asleep. 

"Can you fix him?" Ansatsu was almost too scared to ask. Horobi created Jin by his own hand, surely he could repair him, right? But he wasn't moving. Or 'breathing'. There was no sign of life at all. Horobi could create life, but could he really revive it? 

"I don't know." Horobi admitted, softly, his voice wavering as he tried to keep it together. 

"Can I help?" He asked. With what, he had no idea. He didn't know what to do, he was just the assassin. But he had to help. He knew he couldn't bear to sit on the sidelines waiting for an answer. He couldn't wait idly by while his friend's life was at stake. And while logically he knew he should expect the worst, his friend was dead and that was it, to him, as long as that hope was still there, then Jin was still alive. 

Humans always assumed a HumaGear couldn't grow tired. They were always expected to be at the top of their game, or risk being torn apart to find out why they failed. But in reality, nothing can work tirelessly. No physical tool can be used without succumbing to wear and tear. No computer could run constantly without a break. Even a HumaGear needed to rest. As Ansatsu tried to explain to Horobi as they entered their twelfth hour. 

But as expected, Horobi remained silent, and ignored his advice. 

" _Please_ take a break? It's not good to work for so long, you'll burn yourself out." 

Horobi was silent again, he hadn't spoken since he'd started working and Ansatsu didn't expect him to start now. He was startled when a soft, wavering voice replied. 

"I don't... need your advice." 

Ansatsu's instinct was to withdraw, and not argue, but something compelled him to continue. 

"You're tired. What if you make a mistake-" 

"Do you doubt me?" Horobi's tone sent a shiver up Ansatsu's spine, but he wouldn't back down. 

"-and irreversibly damaged him? You'd never forgive yourself." 

"And what if too much time passes and I lose my chance of repairing him because I couldn't handle being a little tired? What then?" 

Ansatsu sighed, and sat across from him, with Jin's body between them - he tried not to think too much about that. 

"I should have been there." 

Horobi shook his head. "I _was_ there. And look what happened." 

"What did happen?" 

"He was shot." Horobi said simply, and Ansatsu just nodded slowly. He felt Horobi was reaching his social limit, and he didn't want to push. If Horobi refused to rest, then he was content to sit in silence. 

But after a few minutes of awkward silence, Horobi continued. 

"A human... held him at gun point. The... Hiden president, Zero One, he tried to talk to him, but... he said the wrong thing." 

"Well then... what could you have done? If he shot because Zero One said something wrong, he'd have shot if you'd have acted. It sounds like it was an impossible situation." 

"I should have tried. I failed him then, I won't fail him now." 

Ansatsu had fallen asleep by the time Jin's eyes moved. Horobi had long since lost count of the hours he'd been working, but he could feel his vision starting to blur and his chest beginning to ache. Though that second one may have been less from the tiredness and more from the anxiety. Either way, Jin's eyes couldn't possibly have really moved, could they? He was just imagining it. He really was that tired. 

It took a while for it to compute that Jin was looking at him. 

"Jin?" 

His gaze very slowly moved to Ansatsu, asleep in the corner. He blinked slowly. 

"Jin?" Horobi tried again, the pain in his chest growing as he waited for a response. 

Jin reached out with a trembling hand, trying to find Horobi, but somehow he just couldn't quite get there. His motor abilities were off, and while he could certainly see Horobi, he wasn't exactly where he thought he was. He tried again, letting out a small sob. Instinctively, Horobi met Jin's hand with his own, holding it tightly. 

"Jin... can you say something?" 

There was no sense of understanding in Jin's eyes. Just fear and confusion. 

Ansatsu didn't remember falling asleep, and he certainly didn't remember ever leaving Jin's side, so how he ended up on the tattered sofa in the corner he had no idea. But he scrambled to his feet and back to Jin. 

"What happened? What did I miss?" 

Horobi was no longer with Jin, but as his workstation instead. Jin's eyes were closed, but his chest was rising and falling, cooling his systems. He was no longer as cold to the touch as he was when Ansatsu carried him. 

"Horobi, is he okay?" 

"He lives." 

Their hideout felt colder than usual, and somehow darker. Jin was _alive_ , yet somehow the darkness still shrouded them. The heavy weight of anxiety still encompassed them. The shred of relief was not yet in sight. 

"But is he _okay_?" 

"He lives." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin may be alive, but he's far from okay. He needs help, and Horobi isn't sure how to give it.

"Have you taken a break?" 

"I have not had the time." 

Horobi had been working on Jin a good twelve hours at least, and Ansatsu had been watching him at his computer for another five. He wasn't sure what Horobi had been doing for the four hours he'd been asleep, but twenty one hours was far too long to work nonstop. He wasn't there for his brother when he needed him, but he was here now for his _dad_. He wouldn't fail them both. 

Ansatsu blinked and shook his head. When had he started calling them that? 

"I don't understand. His coding, it's... _broken_. Nothing I do seems to work. He can't speak, he can barely move. What am I supposed to do?" 

In this moment, Horobi seemed unnaturally small. Horobi shouldn't be asking what to do, he always knows what to do, nothing is beyond him. If Horobi was so lost, what hope did Ansatsu have? Somehow, he had to keep them going. 

"We can teach him! Can't we? Learning! Can we do that?" 

"It... is difficult for a HumaGear to develop motor skills." 

"Difficult, but not impossible! You're clever, you can do it. We're good at learning, and you're good at teaching." Ansatsu said with a smile, albeit a rather forced one. 

Horobi nodded, and tried to stand, only to stumble. 

"But, maybe your own motor skills should be at maximum capacity before we try to teach Jin. Rest, please?" 

Horobi hated to agree, but Ansatsu was right. Jin needed him, and he had to be in a state his son could rely on. Ansatsu placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"I'll watch him while you sleep. He'll be fine." 

Ansatsu spoke with very emphasised sounds and movements, so Jin could see him clearly even in the darkness. He opened his mouth wide. 

"Aaaah." 

Jin opened his mouth, slightly, but no sound came out. He tilted his head with a troubled expression. 

"Open wide, aaaah." 

He opened his mouth again, and let out a breath, with the smallest of sounds. "A-Ah?" 

Ansatsu smiled and nodded. "Nn. Aahn." 

"Ah.......n." His sounds were barely audible, with no strength to them. 

"Saaa..." 

He pursed his lips. "Ss.... ss... ah...." 

"Tsu!" 

"Sss... ssu?" 

Ansatsu nodded encouragingly. "Ansatsu." 

"Aah.. sa... su?" 

Ansatsu smiled proudly, and raised his hand in the air. "You're doing great, Jin!" 

Jin tilted his head again, staring at his hand confused. Ansatsu gently took his hand, and pressed it against his own. 

"It's a high five! Think you can do that?" He released Jin's hand, keeping his in the air. Jin reached out, but past Ansatsu's hand. He furrowed his brows and tried again, a little closer. 

"Just a little to the left, you can do it!" 

He tried again, almost making contact with Ansatsu's hand. He lowered his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. 

"Hey, learning takes time, but you're doing well! Try again!" Ansatsu said with a smile, his hand in the air. "Slowly, like this." 

He gently held Jin's hand, and slowly pressed it against his. 

"It's okay if you can't do it straight away. Just keep trying!" 

Jin slowly and shakily raised his hand, and pressed it against Ansatsu's. 

"You did it!" 

"I-I-I..." Jin's voice glitched. "D-D-Did..." 

Jin's face lit up when he saw Horobi walk through the door. 

"Horobi!" 

Horobi froze in the doorway. He didn't expect to hear Jin speak so quickly, and so clearly too. How long had he been resting? 

"See? Learning!" Ansatsu said with a smile, dramatically tilting his head. Jin watched, and attempted the same movement with a similar smile. 

Speaking was one thing, but walking was another. Like Horobi said, motor abilities are especially difficult for an AI. Jin was remarkable in that aspect, his movements much more fluid than the average HumaGear. Most moved somewhat more stiffly, efficiently, to conserve as much energy while completing the task as quickly and perfectly as possible. Jin on the other hand, his movements made little sense, his excitable claps or his little pre-henshin bounce served no purpose other than his own amusement. 

However could they hope to recapture that? 

Still, they had to start somewhere. 

Jin's grip wasn't the strongest, but it was enough to keep him on his feet. Besides, where Jin lacked strength, Horobi made up for it. 

"One foot forward." 

Jin stared at the floor in front of him, before slowly lifting his foot, his other leg shaking. He stepped forwards, barely able to keep his balance. But with his hands on Horobi's shoulders, and Horobi's hands around his waist, he was confident he wouldn't fall. 

"And the other." 

They continued this way for some time, Jin taking a small unsteady step forwards as Horobi took an equal step back. Once they'd reached the middle of the room, away from any potential hazards, Horobi slowly moved his hands away, Jin watching him with a worried look. 

"Try to balance on your own." 

Jin uncertainly lifted his hands, and he immediately wobbled, keeping his arms outstretched by his side for balance. Horobi watched carefully as he took a small but noticeable step back. 

"Walk towards me." 

Jin looked at him wide eyed, and shook his head. 

"Just two steps." 

"F-Fall?" 

"I won't let you." 

He nervously took a step, and half of another before stumbling forwards, falling into Horobi's arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know now... we were worried about the wrong person this whole time... and next episode sure is a thing that's going to happen haha... ha... 
> 
> Time to stress write!


End file.
